"What the government has done in expanding this exemption is toss to the wind entirely Congress' instruction that women need and shall have seamless, no-cost comprehensive coverage," she said during a telephone hearing live-streamed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"They can get contraception coverage by paying out of their own pocket which is exactly what Congress did not want to happen."

Ginsburg noted that a "major trend in religious freedom is to give everything to one side and nothing to the other side."

She then referenced Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. where a majority of the court found in 2014 that private corporations could be exempt from the Obama-era birth control mandate based on religious objections.

"Nothing in the interim rules affects the ability of employees and students to obtain without costs the full range of FDA-approved contraceptives," she said.

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Ginsburg accused the Trump administration of 'tossing tossed entirely to the wind' an essential service for womenCredit: Getty - Contributor

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She referenced a 2014 Supreme Court case where most of the court ruled that corporations could be exempt from the birth control ruleCredit: Reuters

"You have just tossed entirely to the wind what Congress thought was essential. That is that women be provided these services with no hassle, no cost to them."

She added: "Instead, you are shifting the cost of the employer's religious beliefs to the employees who do not share those religious beliefs."

"The women end up getting nothing. They are required to do just what Congress didn't want."